


You Teach Me (And I'll Teach You)

by teaandtumblr



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: A lot - Freeform, Fluff, Fun, M/M, Oneshot, Pokemon GO - Freeform, Short Drabble, niall an art student, they play pokemon, who loves monet, zayn is a librarian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 09:09:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7612252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teaandtumblr/pseuds/teaandtumblr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn is a librarian who takes pride in the Pokemon Gym that is his workplace. That is, until a certain someone starts making a habit of winning it off him every damn day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Teach Me (And I'll Teach You)

**Author's Note:**

> I had to do it. I just had to. <3

 

  
  


 

 

He’d downloaded Pokemon Go.

You couldn’t blame him really. Zayn had grown up on the show, had played the games on his Gameboy whenever his family had gone on holidays, still had a binder or two filled with cards – though whether he was going to keep them for sentimental reasons or sell them when they became valuable, he wasn’t quite sure. He also maybe thought he was one card off from having the original set, _dammit_.

All that aside, Zayn had the app because _of course_ he had the app. The real question was, who _didn’t_ have it? Even people who had never shown any interest in Pokemon before had it so Zayn wasn’t the least bit ashamed. Nope, he’d swapped his iTunes account for an Australian one and gotten it before the official UK release because damned if he was waiting.

But perhaps the greatest upside of the whole thing was that his workplace, his actual workplace, was a Pokemon Gym. Fuck _yes_.

He’d noticed it as soon as he’d arrived at the library exhausted as hell after an all night Pokemon hunt with his friends. They’d crawled into bed around 4AM and he’d had to be up at 8AM to make his shift. Still, the run had given him some good Pokemon and a lot of experience points so he assigned himself a team – Instinct – and slapped his best Pokemon up to defend it.

Zayn actually ended up being proud of his little gym. The library was a bit out of the centre of town and not as up-to-date or gleaming as the one in the city centre. It was also the furthest one from the two universities, meaning their student traffic was pretty much non-existent. But nothing made Zayn happier than bouncing into work every morning after discovering he still had possession of his gym, _ZapAttack_ proudly appearing on every passing trainer’s screen when they dared to challenge. He battled his gym to strengthen it on his lunch break or when the work was quiet enough he thought he could get away with it. Zayn even began to recognise a few usernames of other trainers in the area, Instinct also, who would leave assists, most likely on their way to work.

It was all going rather well until one day Zayn was camped out in the traffic island outside the library – his boss didn’t allow him to smoke anywhere on property and so the middle of the road it was (he caught an Aerodactyl there once so hey, he wasn’t complaining) – and his attention was caught by four young men, head snapping up when one yelled.

“Here! It’s the library! I’m going to take its arse down!”

Zayn smothered a smirk, sparing the blond the barest of glances before returning his attention to his phone. He currently had a level 833 Arcanine up there and he had yet to see anything around come close.

“How the fuck’s this guy already got an Arcanine?” one of the friends shouted, Zayn puffing his chest out. Well, it hadn’t been easy.

“Arcanine, Shmarcanine,” said the blond one, grin lazy. “We can take it Lou’.”

And take it they did.

Five minutes later Zayn was staring at his phone in disbelief as his gym went from level four right down to unclaimed. All of the four boys cheered, the blond one and the one he’d called Lou’ giving each other high fives. Their Pokemon were dropped, the familiar blue of Team Mystic filling the gym. Zayn’s jaw then dropped when the defending Pokemon was a level 978 _Rattata_ of all fucking things. Oh, and its name was _1000thofthisMOFO_. Apparently owned by _Nialler93_.  Zayn picked the blond one as Nialler.

Alright then. It was on.

 

***

 

And by on he meant all out one-sided war.

Because despite never having seeing those boys or their usenames ever before, once they’d claimed the gym and Zayn had won it back they kept appearing. Over and over, day in, day out. Zayn had actually managed to learn all their names without talking to them, they yelled and screamed and were just generally so noisy. The blond was Niall, the boisterous one Louis, there was Harry – who was never far from Louis’ side – and Liam, who from what Zayn could gather must have been Team Valor because he never backed his friends nor did he ever back Zayn. He most certainly had the app though, sounded like a fitness junkie by the amount of egg hatchings he reeled off.

Now, it was all fun and games. That was the point of the app. And _yet_.

Zayn couldn’t leave it. He just couldn’t.

Because no, that was _his_ gym. _He_ worked there, _he_ earnt it, _he_ was going to defend it. And no one, _no one_ , was going to win it off him, and certainly not repeatedly. His happy bouncing into work had quickly transitioned into moody stomping and his boss had made a comment about him being too obsessed with a silly game. Zayn was pretty certain she was right…but that didn’t mean he was going to let up on the attitude.

Especially not when he’d just won it back so spectacularly.

Grinning wolfishly as he flipped open the app while returning books to the classic novels sections, Zayn’s jaw hit the floor when he was in time to see the gym swap to that clinical grey. Zayn was tearing out of the library at alarming speed, knowing what he was going to see even as he clicked on the gym.

_Nialler93._

Fuck.

_Fucking hell!_

Rounding the library’s stone wall, Zayn found himself staring at the four boys who had been plaguing him for the past three weeks. And, suddenly, he just couldn’t keep it in.

“Would you _fucking stop?_ ”

All four of them froze, staring at him with wide eyes until the one called Louis burst out laughing. “I’m gonna guess and say ZapAttack, yeah?”

Zayn harrumphed, folding his arms tightly. “Yeah.”

Louis’ eyes flicked to his shirt, making a little noise of discovery. “And you’re the librarian. This is “your” gym.” His use of air-quotes was a little unnecessary, in Zayn’s opinion.

“Be nice Louis,” Harry chided gently.

“Wasn’t him that swore at us,” Niall pointed out, but his smile was friendly enough when he turned to Zayn, holding out his hand. “I’m Niall.”

“Zayn,” he offered, shaking the hand because yeah, Niall was right. He was the one who’d been out of line. He scratched his neck sheepishly. “Sorry about the yelling thing.”

“Nah, it’s all good,” Niall assured, eyes twinkling. “Means you’re passionate. Not a bad trait to have, in my opinion.”

“D’aww, isn’t he adorable?” Louis crooned, draping himself over Niall’s shoulders and catching Zayn’s attention. “I’m Louis, by the way. That’s Harry and that’s Liam,” he said, pointing in turn.

“Zayn, again,” he repeated, waving a little. He then winced as he saw the time at the top of his phone. “Anyway, I better get back in.”

“You’re not going to get in trouble are you?” Liam asked, Zayn a little taken aback that his first words spoken were leaden with _concern_. Niall, similarly, looked like Zayn was going to fired on his account.

Zayn brushed them off. “Nah, I won’t. It’s quiet at this time and besides, my boss knows about my addiction.” He shook his phone by way of explanation. “I’m not saying she _approves_ but don’t think I haven’t caught her catching a sneaky Pidgey in the shelves once or twice.”

The boys laughed and Zayn took that as his chance to leave, departing with a two fingered salute. He jogged back into the library, slipping into the back room where all the return books got passed through the chute and did such a good job at looking like he’d been there the whole time that his supervisor, who had obviously been searching for him, seemed to convince herself she’d simply missed him the first time. Leaving him to his task after reminding him she was going to run “story time” with an after-school group for underprivileged kids, Zayn stacked the books onto his trolley and wheeled it out into the shelves so he could start putting everything back in its rightful place.

He’d been there all of five minutes before he felt a presence come up behind him. Peeking over his shoulder, he frowned. “Come to tell me you’ve left an ever stronger Pokemon now?”

Niall laughed, shaking his head in amusement and coming to lean against the shelf next to Zayn. Anyone else would probably look ridiculous in a pork pie hat while being under sixty but Niall somehow pulled it off, flashing Zayn a smile full of gleaming teeth. “No, and actually, I came to propose a truce.”

Zayn paused, turning more fully and quirking an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”

Niall chuckled again. “Mate, you take this game too seriously,” he teased, ribbing him gently. “You’re like full Mafia or whatever. But no,” he continued, “I get it. You work here, you have your pride. To be honest, this is kind of out of my way anyway. Louis and them live up the road but they wouldn’t give the gym more than a second glance if I didn’t goad them.”

Zayn snorted in disbelief. “Not even Louis.”

Niall winced. “Okay, maybe Louis. But still, if I ask them to leave it, they probably will. And besides, Louis can’t take the gym on his own, not with Harry only collecting the “pretty” Pokemon, as he calls them.”

Zayn barked out a laugh. “Well, then I guess thanks. It’s stupid but thanks.”

Niall nodded concisely, rocking back on his heels before cautiously asking, “You ever gone on a night walk?”

It took Zayn a moment to translate that. “Like, a Poke hunt at night?” He waited for Niall’s nod. “Yeah, a couple of times a week.” He placed another book back, grumping when he found a different one stuffed in the wrong place, tossing it onto his trolley with a scowl. “Why?”

Zayn thought it was maybe his imagination but Niall’s cheeks looked almost pink. “Louis and Harry have full time jobs – like professional ones – and Liam gets up before the sun most days so they don’t…they sleep, you know? But I…Walking around at night isn’t safe, is it? Did you, I don’t know, wanna go out together sometime? Safety in numbers and all,” he added, clearly going for enticing.

Zayn frowned so hard his glasses slipped down his nose an inch. Pushing them back up balefully, Zayn wanted to make sure he’d heard right. “You want to go Pokemon hunting…with _me?_ ”

Niall held up his hands, taking a stumbling step back. “If you want! I’m not trying to be creepy.”

Zayn grasped his wrist before he could tumble over. “Calm down Niall. I…You know what, it sounds like fun.” He flashed Niall a smile. “Call me crazy but I trust you. I don’t think you’re likely to kill me. It’ll be an adventure.”

Niall looked stunned for a second before his face into a grin that almost made Zayn want to shield his eyes it was so bright. “Great!” he chirped. “When’s good?”

“I can do tonight,” Zayn offered. “Let’s meet at the Costa on the way into town at say, ten?, and go from there.”

“Tonight’s awesome,” Niall said. He shook his phone in Zayn’s direction as he backed down the aisle. “Don’t stand me up Zayn!”

Zayn flipped him off discretely, Niall cackling. “I won’t.”

And no, he wouldn’t.

 

***

 

It was almost a date.

Crawling out of bed the next morning, that was the best word Zayn could think to describe it. He and Niall had met at the coffee shop as planned, dosed themselves up on caffeine and headed out into the night. Niall had come on a bike, looking sheepish until he’d seen Zayn’s skateboard, both of them admitting they’d been running late and since they had yet to exchange numbers, they’d both gone for faster transportation, for want of a better word. It was fun, zipping through the streets, Zayn showing Niall where to catch some of the Pokemon he didn’t have before Niall showed Zayn where to catch some of the Pokemon _he_ didn’t have.

They’d found a lure in a park around 2A.M. that was swarming with people despite the ridiculous hour. Legs aching, they’d called in a break and slumped down onto the grass, Zayn offering up his battery pack to Niall so they could charge their phones while they relaxed. Niall was a lot more open than Zayn, mouth running the entire time they’d been moving and even now, that they’d stopped, he was calling out to whoever was closest and sparking up conversations like it was the easiest thing in the world.

When Niall started nodding off on the grass around 3:30A.M., Zayn had hauled him up and shoved him in the direction of a 24 hour petrol station, where they’d grabbed more shitty coffee from one of the machines inside. The fact that it cost them only a pound per cup said a lot about the quality. But as they’d started heading in the direction of their homes – Niall wheeling his bike alongside him while Zayn’s skateboard was tucked under his arm – Zayn discovered that Niall was studying a Masters of Art at the university. He didn’t know _why_ it surprised him so much but it did. An honest to God hour later he was still listening as Niall waxed poetic about Monet, everything from his childhood to his brush strokes to the current rise in popularity once again. Zayn thought _maybe_ he should mention that Niall had been standing on the corner of his street for the better part of an hour and had made to leave four times before saying “ _and another thing_ ” but he just didn’t have the heart. It was too endearing to watch and he’d listen to Niall for _hours_ if he wanted him too.

Eventually though, they’d parted and Zayn had crawled into bed some three hours before he had to get up. It was worth it though, he figured, thumbing over Niall’s contact in his phone fondly as he munched through his morning toast. He had a new friend in Niall – and, who was he kidding, Zayn was _definitely_ going to push for more – and he had his gym back. All was well.

Until it wasn’t.

Until he clocked off for the day, stepped outside, opened the _Pokemon Go_ app, and promptly froze upon seeing the blue colour of the gym in front of him. It could have been a coincidence, he tried to tell himself even as he clicked on it. Someone else could have won it. It wasn’t like Niall was the only Pokemon trainer in town. Hell, there were _hundreds_.

But it was staring straight back at him: _Nialler93_.

The username filled him with unbridled rage and Zayn was hell bent on tearing the gym down when he saw the Pokemon guarding the gym was level 1492 and Zayn had nothing that came close at the moment. True, he could wear the gym down but that all faltered, like the fight in him drained out, when he saw the Pokemon’s name. It was a Wigglytuff, cute and pink and bouncing, but its name seemed to physically scald him.

_HaGaaaaaaaay_

Zayn’s fingers gripped the phone tightly, swallowing against the bile in his throat. It could be a joke, like all fun and games, but even then. _No_ , it wasn’t funny. Zayn didn’t think it was funny at all. No, it felt derogatory and harsh and so, so unnecessary. He thumped out of the app with frustration. Fuck Niall and his clearly homophobic ways. Fuck him.

 

***

 

He left it. Zayn didn’t even _try_ to win back the gym. Nope, he had a plan in mind and he wasn’t going to play Niall’s game until he could utterly thrash him. No one else had been able to win back the gym either and nearly two weeks had passed since Niall had won it over, Louis and Harry’s Pokemon sitting there alongside his like they always did.

There had been a day where Niall and friends had come into the library, Niall’s face scrunched in concern. It probably had something to do with the fact that Zayn had been ignoring his texts and hadn’t accepted their challenge yet. Zayn had zipped into the staff bathrooms, hissing at his boss to cover him because he wasn’t up to talking and certainly not at work where anything above a loud whisper was reprimanded – yes, that was still very much a thing. Niall had looked miserable when he’d trudged out, Liam thumbing his shoulder consolingly but Zayn merely flicked a brief scowl in their direction. No, Niall didn’t deserve the sympathy.

It was a Thursday when Zayn had finally, finally, been able to put his plan into action. He obliterated the gym, masterfully taking it down and setting his oh so carefully chosen Pokemon in place. He’d had a shorter shift at work and so was leaning against the stone wall when Niall and friends approached. After all, he was going to see Niall’s face. That was the whole point.

“Hey hey!” Louis yelled, even from down the street Zayn could hear him. “Look, it’s yellow! Zayn must be playing again.”

“Must have run out of data,” Liam mused, Zayn shaking his head.

Niall chose that moment to round the corner, the lads on his heels. He blinked at Zayn’s presence before his face quickly morphed into a smile. It froze midway at Zayn’s steely glower and tightly folded arms. “Zayn…” he name slipped passed his lips but Zayn shook his head. With a frown, Niall studied his phone; even from where Zayn was standing he could see him pressing on the gym, could see the second he read the Pokemon’s name, could hear the sharp breath. “Oh _fuck_.”

Zayn should say so.

Because he had gone mad catching as many Clefairy as he could, always keeping the strongest and levelling up constantly so now, atop the gym, sat a Clefable, name such a statement: “ _LoveIsLove_ ”. It’s level – 1775 – didn’t even matter to Zayn. No, it was the name.

“That’s what I thought,” Zayn murmured, pushing himself off the wall and turning towards home.

“Shit, _fuck_ , Zayn!” Niall’s voice was desperate. “No, you three get lost. I need… _fuck_ , just let me…”

Zayn grudgingly halted as Niall’s hand wrapped around his arm, pulling him back. Louis looked ashamed as he passed, Harry understanding, and Liam sheepish. But Niall…Niall looked like he was trying to do everything in his power not to crush Zayn in his arms. Seeing he had Zayn’s attention, he reluctantly let his arm drop.

“I think I know why you’re mad at me,” he finally said, head bowed. “At first I thought it was ‘cause I’d gone back on my promise-”

Zayn gave a little shrug to say that that had been _part_ of the problem.

“-but I guess it all makes sense now. You…” Niall waved at the gym. “You thought I was making fun of queer people.”

“ _Weren’t you?_ ” Zayn demanded in a hiss. “That’s what I looked like to me. Pick the pinkest Pokemon you could and give it _that_ name.”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Niall insisted “I have-”

“So help me if the next words out of your mouth are, I have a friend who’s gay and I’m okay with that.”

Niall’s mouth snapped shut, Zayn’s hands clenching it fists.

“Fuck Niall! You know I kind of thought you were an alright guy!”

“It was one stupid thing!” Niall cried, ripping Zayn back when he went to storm away. “I get it, you didn’t find it funny. And okay, yeah, it wasn’t. And you can roll your eyes all you want but _yes_ , I have a gay friend and I’m fucking okay with him. I have a pan friend too and, _newsflash!_ , I’m hardly straight myself!” Zayn blinked at that. “It was a joke between friends but looking back, I can see why it wasn’t okay, why I shouldn’t have paraded it where everyone could see. But I’m _sorry_. And I’m more sorry that this has put a rift between us.” His hand came to rest on Zayn’s forearm ever so gently. “You’re gay, aren’t you?”

Zayn nodded stiffly, shoving his hands into his pocket. “I thought…”

Niall frowned. “Did you think I was making a dig at you?”

Zayn flinched. “No! Maybe…I don’t know. I didn’t think so but…”

“You weren’t sure either,” Niall surmised. He heaved a sigh. “Okay, now I feel even _worse_.” He ran a hand through his hair, forgetting he was wearing a hat and whining when it fell to the ground.

Zayn scooped it up easily, handing it back. “Nah, I think it’s okay now. You said sorry and I forgive you, like, if you don’t do it again.”

Niall shook his head. “I won’t.” He then peered up at Zayn shyly. “Well, if I’m forgiven then can I ask a question? A question I’ve been trying to ask ever since we went on that Pokemon hunt?”

Zayn blinked in bewilderment. “Uh…sure.”

“Would you wanna go on a date with me?”

Zayn was pretty sure his brain stopped working. “A d-date?” he stammered.

“Yeah!” Niall confirmed, beaming. “You, me, dinner, coffee, whatever.”

Zayn returned the smile, cautiously reaching out and taking Niall’s hand in his, turning them towards Niall’s home. “Sounds okay.”

Better than okay, but hey, he’d keep that to himself.

 

***

 

**Author's Note:**

> hope you liked this little oneshot. Something cute and fluffy and all Ziall goodness. Let me know what you thought .xx


End file.
